Many people suffer various foot-related ailments. These ailments range in severity from minor irritations to major dermatological problems. By Ear the most common foot-related problem is a fungal infection commonly known as "athlete's foot." This infection is found in people of all ages and can encompass lo the same severity range as above mentioned for foot disorders in general.
The inventor has found that some fungus that is characterized as athlete's foot fungus thrives in damp or wet conditions. Therefore, if the damp or wet conditions are replaced by a dry environment, this particular fungus dies, thereby curing this form of athlete's foot.
The market contains several remedies directed to curing athlete's foot, including many forms of foot powder. While these powders and remedies are somewhat effective and have been fairly commercially successful, there is still room for improvement. Specifically, the inventor has found that these cures have several drawbacks. For example, some powders are messy to apply thereby discouraging their use, especially prolonged use as may be required to completely cure some forms of athlete's foot.
Still further, for those fungi that are most efficiently killed by maintaining a dry environment, such powders are only effective when they can absorb dampness. As soon as the powder falls off the user's skin, or absorbs all the moisture it is capable of absorbing, its effectiveness for those fungi will be minimized and possible non-existent.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for applying powder to a user's foot in a manner that is not unduly messy yet will maintain as much effective powder as possible on the user's foot for as long as possible.
Yet another drawback to many presently-available foot powder-type remedies is the inaccuracy of the application thereof. Many foot fungal infections occur between the toes and/or between the toes and the front of the sole of the foot. It may be difficult for some people, especially elderly or overweight people, to place sufficient amounts of foot powder directly on the affected areas of their feet to be fully effective. Foot sprays are often inaccurate and can be extremely wasteful.
Therefore, there is a further need for a means and a method for applying powder-type medication to a user's foot accurately yet which easily and efficiently located the medication on the precise areas affected.
A still further drawback of many presently-available foot care remedies is that dead skin on the outer surface of the skin prevents the medication from reaching newly-affected areas by shielding those areas from the medication. Newly applied medication is simply applied to skin that no longer needs it. This is wasteful and inefficient.
Therefore, there is yet a further need for a means and a method for applying powder-type medication to a user's foot that prevents dead skin from interfering with contact between the medication and any fungus growing on the user's skin.
Still further, for many infections, several implements and accessories may be required to fully treat the affected area. This is especially true in the above-discussed situation where dead skin may prevent the medication from reaching newly-infected areas. If many such items are necessary, many users simply will not use all the items as it is inconvenient to carry them. This may reduce the effectiveness of any treatment.
Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for applying powder-type medication to a user's foot in which all of the implements and accessories necessary for a complete treatment can be stored accessibly in a single case whereby a user can conveniently carry all these items for use when necessary.